The Golden Couple
by xXDonnaTylerXx
Summary: His plan was foolproof, a perfect way to get back at the Doctor by using the woman he'd lost... He just never imagined that along the way, she would come to mean so much to him as well. Master/Donna.
1. You Know Me

**Riiight, off we go! This fic is basically my take on what we know must happen in the christmas episodes - i.e. the return of both Donna Noble and the Master, played again by John Simm (yay!). How can they return, we all ask, how can this be? Well. Reead on my dears, reead on, this is my idea of what could happen. Characters include the Doctor (pretty obviously), the Lady Christina (_I _liked her, even if no-one else seemed to) and Wilfred, but the major pairing is Donna/Master - odd, I know, but give it a chance, I beg you.**

**Please do drop a quick review ta let me know if you liked it/hated it, there's nothing like feedback to keep my writing and improving! Cheers m'dears, do enjoy.**

**Donna xxx**

**The Golden Couple**

**Chapter One - You Know Me**

"So you don't think it looks too tarty? You're_ sure_?"

"No, Donna." Wilfred sighed, walking around his granddaughter who had stopped in the middle of the path yet again to examine her nails.

"'Cos I didn't want to go for the bright red, I always thought it was a bit - you know, _common, _but Nerys was insistent. Mind you, lookin' back on the things she's done to me over the years I wouldn't put it past her... What is it?"

He had somewhat tuned her out, but Wilfred was now all too aware of the fact that when she had mentioned Nerys, his breath had caught in his throat. Ever since the fiasco with the Doctor, he had been beyond cautious, it worried him sick that at any point something could cause her to remember, and then... Still, she seemed none the wiser, despite the fact that whenever anyone mentioned anything that could possibly bring back memories he panicked... She probably just thought he was going crazy in his old age.

"No no, it's nothing darlin'." He said hastily, looking for a way to change the subject, "Could we maybe's hurry up a bit? 'Cos it's almost completely dark already and we want to get to the top while the sky's still clear..." The end of his sentence faded as he continued walking up the hill, his telescope tucked under one arm.

He heard a sigh from behind him as Donna quickened her pace, "Remind me again why we're going all the way up some hill just to see one star?"

"Because it's not often you get a night as clear as this, and because it's nice to be out and about." Was his quick reply, but in his head all he could think of were the real reasons:

_Because being in the middle of nowhere is better than being back in the city where anything might trigger your memories. Because out here, I don't have to protect you as much. And more importantly, because since the Doctor left I don't feel like I know you anymore. Because I need to know that there's still some of the old Donna in there, _somewhere_._

"You might call it nice, I call it bloody freezing!" She grinned, pulling her thick cardigan tighter around her, "Still, I s'pose it's part of the adventure." And with that, Donna darted off up the hill and out of sight, leaving Wilfred to smile fondly after her. She was still in there, his baby girl who longed for freedom and adventure... Somewhere.

Donna breathed in the crisp air around her, revelling in the feel of being outdoors and active. This was where things seemed okay, she thought as she walked along, this was where none of the nonsense of being at home could get to her. Her mother's fussing, her grandpa's worrying, her new job's restrictions and her friends' ramblings. It wasn't as though these things didn't matter to her - they were just part of her everyday life, but at the moment she just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something _bigger _she could be doing, something infinitely more important and enjoyable - but she just couldn't see it.

"Oh!" She shrieked, being pulled from her thoughts as her foot caught on a log and she almost tumbled to the ground. Donna straightened herself up, looking around her to see that there were _several _logs laying about where she stood, and all of them blackened, charred and half burned. Someone's bonfire from months a go, she assumed, and was about to carry on walking... but then she saw it. Just a glint, a flash of something metal shining among the pile of ash, and when she bent down to look closer she saw that it was an ornate ring.

Under normal circumstances, she most likely would have just ignored it... but something about this was different. Something kept her gaze fixated on this ring, told her that no matter what, she had to keep it safe.

And so, slowly, deliberately, she picked it up, now not caring in the slightest about the dirt getting under her newly polished red nails. It seemed just trivial now, ridiculous even... Nothing else mattered, now that she had the ring.

"You alright, Donna?" Came her grandfather's voice from behind her, and as she turned around, just for a second, she didn't register, stayed totally focused on the precious thing in her hand. But then, in an instant, she blinked, snapping immediately out of whatever trance she'd been in.

"Yep." She said casually, with a smile, and stood up to show him, "Just found this ring, look, it's quite pretty. Anyway, shall we get off?"

And she slipped the ring into her pocket, thinking no more about it as she and Wilfred walked on, to the very top of the hill.

* * *

He awoke with a start, gasping for air as though his life depended on it... which, he supposed, it did. He was struggling to remember any kind of details, just two words kept sticking out in his head, all he could focus on - two words.

Donna Noble.

Why that name, who _was_ this woman? How could he know her - there was no picture of her in his head, no recollection of ever meeting her, just a name. that name. Donna Noble. And for some unknown reason, he knew that this woman was the most important person to him on the planet.

At first, he couldn't recall exactly what planet it was he was on, but slowly, the memories were all coming trickling back. The end of the universe, hijacking the TARDIS. Utopia, and the paradox. That one glorious year, when for once _he _had been in control, been respected, and the Doctor had been helpless. The awful day when it all came tumbling down around him, and that awful human child Martha Jones had taken everything away. Even pathetic little Lucy had turned on him in the end, firing a bullet into his stomach that everyone had been sure would kill him. How wrong they were.

None of them had known, not even the legendary _Doctor _had worked out quite how clever he had been, trapping his entire self, all of his energy and soul into that ring right at the last minute and escaping like this.

The Master smirked. Yet again, he had won.

* * *

The most important thing, he knew, was to find out who exactly this woman was. Well, he knew who she _was, _but no details about her. He had worked out pretty quickly, being as clever as he was, that this Donna Noble must be the woman who had found his ring and effectively brought him back to life. However, he still had no clue about what she was like, and more importantly, where he could find her.

Which was precisely why, upon sitting down for the first time with a brand new (and stolen, obviously) laptop, the first thing he did was hack into Torchwood's system and look the name up. It was ridiculous how full of themselves they were about their 'advanced' technology, he thought, when he had so easily got around their passwords and firewalls and into their database. The Master prayed they would have _some_ information on her at least, and that there wouldn't be more than one person listed with that name...

But no. The page loaded quickly, and he was filled with delight as he saw how much info there was on this woman. A photograph on the left hand side showed a pretty redhead in her mid thirties, with the profile on the right telling him everything he needed to know.

_Location: Flat 42a, Robson Street, Chiswick, London. _That was close by.

_Job: Temp, currently in Public Relations at R. J. Chester. _Nothing special, she wouldn't be missed.

_Marital status: Single._ Always a bonus.

All of these facts came as good news to him, but it wasn't until he looked at the bottom of the page, at the section headed "any other details" that a grin spread over the Master's face. This was just too perfect.

_Any Other Details: Was a close friend of the Doctor's, travelled with him in the TARDIS for a time during 2007. All memories of this erased for her own safety, now living normal life._

He couldn't believe it. This woman had known the Doctor, had _travelled_ with him after ghastly Martha. Not only that, but she now had no idea who he was, what had happened to her, her mind a complete blank slate that was his to manipulate in any way he saw fit. there were so many possibilities, so many ways to use her as revenge... A plan quickly started to form in his head, a way to use someone the Doctor cared about to get back at him. Fantastic.

The Master had everything he needed: details of Donna's family, her past, everything there was to know about her. Plus, he thought, raising his eyebrows as he glanced once again at her photograph, she was quite a looker indeed. That always helped.

* * *

Donna wasn't quite sure how she'd made it through this week, so tedious was her job and the people she worked with. Still, at least it was over now, she thought as she walked through the lobby of her office building at 5:30 on a Friday, at least she had two glorious days ahead of her with nothing she needed to that needed doing.

She stifled a yawn as she walked out onto the street, her mind focused entirely on getting back to her flat and her sofa as soon as humanly possible - but then she saw him. A man just across the road, staring directly at her with a look of utmost emotion on his face. She watched as he hurriedly walked towards her, noting his appearance. Not bad, she thought - Short dark blond hair, clean shaven, crisp black suit, nice eyes... Yes, the guy was officially cute. And strangely familiar...

Still, that still didn't explain the look on his face as he reached her, the way he pulled her straight into his arms as soon as he was close enough. She was quite bewildered, and not really sure what to say as at last the stranger pulled back, looking as though he were about to cry as he whispered her name.

"Donna?" he said amazedly, and by now she was beyond confused.

"Er... yeah." She admitted, trying frantically to place him in her mind, "But... I'm sorry, do I know you?"

He blinked at her, sighing miserably, "It would seem not. Oh, I can't believe he's done this to you."

"Wh-?" She at first was speechless, but it soon turned to annoyance, "_Who's _done _what _to me?" Donna demanded, "Who _are _you?"

"Someone has made you forget me." he said quietly, sadly, "But you know me, Donna, very well in fact." He paused dramatically here,and she struggled to take in what he had said.

"I'm Harry. Harry Saxon."


	2. The Things That Really Matter

**Okay then, chapter _deux, _as promised. Just to say a quick thankyou for all the positive feedback I've had so far, it really means a lot to me so Keep it up!! Also, a couple of of people have mentioned, but if you are reading my Donna/Jack fic _Simple Love _then I promise it will get finished at some point, I haven't given up on it but it is on a bit of a break while I write this story. Deeyent fret! many thanks to mein gorgeous Beta _See You On Broadway, _and... well, I'll shut up! Enjoy**

**Donna x**

**PS I'm going on holiday tomorra for two weeks, so the next update won't be for a while - make the most of this! :P xx**

Chapter Two - The Things That Really Matter

Harry Saxon. Of course he was, how had she not recognised him straight away? The _ex_ bloody _Prime Minister _had walked up and hugged her, claiming she should know him in some way, know him _well_... This was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.

She hadn't known what to say, what do do, and had therefore dumbly agreed with him when he suggested they go somewhere to talk. She had followed him straight to a nearby cafe seemingly without any other choice, too shocked and confused to do anything other than sit down and quietly ask for a cup of tea. Now here Donna sat, opposite he who had previously been the most powerful man in the country, with absolutely no inclination of what she should do next.

Luckily, she didn't have to do anything as he made the first move.

"So tell me, Donna," he said kindly, "Exactly what you know about me, however much or little that may be."

"Ah..." She found it hard to form words, clearing her throat, wracking her brains and trying to regain some confidence, "I know that you were Prime Minister, which is hardly what I'd call a little detail, but... Anyway. You, er... Went to Cambridge, I remember, played... rugby, was it? You wrote a book - never did get around to reading that, but I was going to, honest. You're married to that Lucy-"

"_Was." _he interrupted her firmly, taking Donna quite by surprise, "I, er... _was _married to Lucy, not any more. Anyway," Saxon sighed, a sad look on his face, "The things you rattled off to me then were just the facts, the quick biography type thing you could read anywhere. It seems I was right in thinking- in _fearing _that you've forgotten everything you know about me as a person, all of the little things you used to take for granted..."

"I..." She stuttered, not understanding in the least what he was saying and starting to get a bit scared, "Mr Saxon, I'm not sure what you-"

"Harry. Now can you remember, Donna sweetheart, how long I held the title of Prime Minister for?"

Of course she did, how could she forget _that _story? "Three days, wasn't it?"

"Two and a half." he corrected her sadly, "Not a very long time, that, eh? But do you know why, Donna?"

This was possibly one of the strangest conversation she had ever had. Still, she thought back to the countless articles and gossip columns she had read related to the matter, "They said... It was reported that after seeing the president assassinated, the stress got too much for you, that you had, well... a bit of a breakdown and you couldn't cope. They said you resigned."

"They were wrong." he said bluntly, taking her slightly by surprise, "Everything they wrote, none of it was in the least bit true. No, there was one very simple reason I lost the title, in fact it was one _person. _Have you ever heard of a man named the Doctor?"

"No." Donna shook her head, "But it sounds a bit pretentious, calling yourself something like that."

He smiled, and however inappropriate it was, she remembered just how much of a crush she'd had on him when he'd been in the media spotlight.

"Exactly what I thought. But more importantly, this man deliberately had me removed from the job. You remember the day it happened, we humans were supposed to make first contact with an alien race called the Toclafane?"

"Yeah, I do." She replied, "I remember how dissapointed I was, actually - I always thought the idea of aliens was quite fascinating."

"I know you did." Saxon said quietly, the sad, almost mournful look returning to his face, "You always were one for adventure, Donna Noble... You see, this man, this pretentious Doctor, has a real vendetta against me, a hatred that I can't even begin to explain. He did all this, had me removed from office just to thwart my plans to further the human race and to get to me."

"That's all very well," Donna started, and he raised his eyebrows, "I mean, it's not very _well_, he does sound like an awful person, but... I still don't understand what this has got to do with me - why are you here?"

"Like I said, the Doctor hates me. He would go to any lengths to hurt me, and I mean _any _lengths." He leaned in closer to her, sending shivers down Donna's spine as he continued heartfeltedly, "Like, for example... Wiping the memories of the woman I love so she has no recollection of us ever meeting."

Her eyes widened and she sat back in her seat, only managing an astounded whisper: "What?"

"I know how strange this must sound to you," He assured her hurriedly, "But Donna, you have to believe me when I tell you that we met, very shortly after I lost my job, and we were together from that time onwards. You changed my world completely, helped me pick up the pieces after I lost everything. I _proposed _to you, Donna, and you don't know how happy I was when you said yes... And then just two weeks ago, the Doctor found me again. Like I said, I can't begin to tell you how much he hates me... And for that reason, he did this to you. He took away your memories of me, all the time we've had together, and it's broken my heart."

She had no idea what to say, how to respond to what he had said. This was just so _ridiculous, _and so she remained frozen in her seat. Surely it was impossible that Saxon could be telling the truth, anyone with common sense could see that... But then, there was the tiny part of her, the part at the back of her mind that was creeping into prominence, the voice that asked herself what exactly _had _happened to her during the past year of her life. And the terrifying thing was, she couldn't answer that question.

"I need you to believe me." Saxon said in response to her stunned silence, his voice serious and intense, "You know yourself that you're missing a year's worth of memories, Donna, that you've spent hours wracking your brains, trying desperately to figure out what happened to you in those missing months. Well I'm the answer to that. _I_ am what happened to you, Donna, I was your life, and the Doctor is the man responsible for taking all of that away."

He had been looking into her eyes this entire time, his deep gaze almost hypnotising, it was so powerful. But suddenly, it all became too much for her, the confusion took over and Donna could bear it no longer. She wrenched her gaze from his, leaping out of her seat suddenly as though it was burning hot.

"You're wrong." She told him, feeling sick and so disorientated, "You're wrong and you're _mad."_ And then, in a matter of seconds, she hastily threw a few coins down onto the table for the tea she hadn't touched and stumbled blindly out of the cafe, simply needing to get as far away from him as possible as soon as she could.

And it was all because, as much as she wanted to pass him off as insane, Harry Saxon's story made more sense to her than anything she'd heard in a long time.

* * *

42p. She had left forty two pence on the table, possibly using the strangest combination of coins he had ever seen, to pay for a two pound drink. Cheeky cow. But god, the Master thought, was she an easy cow to lie to. To his surprise, she had been easier to convince than he thought - even if she didn't entirely believe him _yet_, he had planted the seed now, and knew that before long he would have her completely fooled.

Grinning at his success, he yawned, stretching his arms out before he noticed a waitress watching him with an odd expression on her face. Quickly, he turned on the charming smile like a switch, stood up, gestured to the change Donna had left on the table, mouthed "Vote Saxon" at her across the room, winked, and then hurriedly walked out of the cafe despite the fact that he had paid not nearly enough. Ah well, so he wouldn't be going back there in a hurry.

Like it mattered anyway. The Master had far more pressing things to do... Tracking down ex-boyfriends of one Donna Noble, for example - it wouldn't take much threatening before they'd be spilling their beans about her private life and all the tiny details about her that he knew would be essential in convincing her they were a couple.

This was just too easy.

* * *

That night, Donna didn't sleep a wink. How could she, when Saxon's words were still ringing in her ears, when her mind was still refusing to drop it? Over and over again, she told herself not to be ridiculous, that of _course_ he was lying to her - but over and over again, she couldn't help but counteract that. What _had _happened to her in the last year then, if his claims were untrue? How else could twelve months have been completely erased from her mind?

She had no idea. All she knew was that she had to try and forget this, had to continue on with her life as normal, otherwise she would go completely insane. And so, the next morning, she got out of bed as usual for work, got ready and left the house promptly at 8:15 - only to find none other than Harold Saxon waiting just across the road.

Immediately, he darted across, a pleading look on his face, and Donna ignored him.

"Please, Donna," He began straight away, "Please, I know how ridiculous I sound but you _have _to believe me. I need you back, sweetheeart, I can't _live_ without you!"

She had kept a straight face, just kept on walking, but at this point she snapped, stopping dead and turning to face him.

"You never _had_ me!" She hissed, her eyes blazing, "How can you say you want me back when I don't _know_you? Is someone paying you to do this to me? Is it that bloody Nerys, 'cos I swear to god if you are doing this for her then I am gonna rip your-"

"I'm not working for _any_one!" He insisted, a slight smile playing on his lips, "I wouldn't dare do that to you, Donna, not when I know what a temper you've got."

"But _how _do you know about my temper?" She shrieked in exasperation, "I. Don't. _Know._ You."

"But you do!"

"Right then." She said, straight laced, standing completely still in front of him and crossing her arms, "Prove it. You prove that you know so much about me."

"I know that your birthday is on May the 14th."

"Is that the best you've got?" Donna almost laughed, "Hell, _anyone _could find that out, surely you don't really expect-"

"Your birthday is May 14th, but usually you don't like to make a big deal out of it. One of the worst years was when your ex-boyfriend Alex threw you a massive surprise party even though you'd told him you really didn't want it, you got the shock of your life and didn't enjoy it at all. You'd always much rather just stay in and have a nice quiet evening, with the people you love, have a laugh and talk about the things that really matter to you. Which is exactly what the two of us did, on your 36th last year."

That shut her up, her mouth now completely dry. All she could manage was a tart: "Go on."

"Like I said, we stayed in, had a nice meal and watched _Back To The Future, _because that's your real favourite film even if you always insist that it's _Titanic _to everyone else. You find it fascinating, even if you won't admit it. And it's the same with music, you may memorise the Top 20 every week for show, but secretly it's the '80s classics you love - Simple Minds, Duran Duran and A-Ha. The first album you ever bought was _Now That's What I Call Music _when you were eleven years old, your very first word was "Oi!" and you've certainly used it a lot ever since. You have one cup of coffee when you first wake up in the morning, other than that you prefer tea during the day with milk and one sugar."

Donna was completely stunned, her eyes filling up and her hands beginning to shake as he came out with more and more, and when finally Harry stopped, there were two things that she desperately wanted to do next. One was to burst into tears. And the other was to throw her arms around him and never let go.

Wisely, she did neither, instead just looking pleadingly into his eyes and asking:

"How... How can you...?"

"Because, Donna," he spoke quietly and honestly, taking hold of both her hands gently. And she didn't pull them away.

"Because I know you... I love you. And all I ask is that you give me the chance to prove it. One evening, one date. And if you still don't believe me, then I promise you'll never have to see me again."

There were a few seconds silence, where she thought long and hard about this, so many thoughts swirling around her brain... And then, probably against her better judgement, she nodded.

"One date." Harry said with a smile, gently squeezing her hands, "And I promise it'll be a night to remember." She nodded again, managing a tiny smile this time.

"I'll ring you." He said, and left it at that. He let go, and her hands felt strangely empty and cold...

"Wait!" She called desperately as he walked away from her, "I haven't given you my-"

"Donna." Harry said smoothly, "I've been engaged to be married to you for six months. Believe me, I have your telephone number."

And then he was gone.


	3. Have Some Hope

**It's been such a long time since I updated this! But don't worry, I promise I will finish it in the end because I know exactly where I'm going with this fic and it's going to be AWESOME :) Please let me know what you thought.**

**Donna xx**

Chapter Three - Have Some Hope

"No _way _were they as good as the first one!"

"I'm sorry, but they _so _were, the third one especially - the original was awful in comparison!"

"Well then," he jokingly held his hands up with a small smirk, "I'm afraid we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this one, Miss Noble."

"I suppose I can live with that." She said with a smile as they stopped outside her gate. Donna couldn't believe how much she had enjoyed this evening - she had been _so _apprehensive and considered cancelling on him at least ten times, but to her surprise it had gone smoothly - and even _more_ to her surprise, she found it incredible just how well she got on with and how easy she found it to talk to Harry Saxon.

Neither of them spoke for a few moments as she looked into his eyes. The casual banter had petered out, their smiles slipped and Donna felt the tension increase.

"Well, I-"

"Look, I-"

The two of them laughed awkwardly as they both broke the silence at exactly the same moment, and she saw him hesitate before starting again.

"Look Donna, I..." He seemed a bit unsure, his voice vulnerable, and to her surprise Donna found herself thinking how much more adorable and attractive he seemed for it, "I understand that things aren't going to go back to how they were, not straight away, but I..." He looked up now, right into her eyes, "I hope that in time you can grow to trust me again. You fell in love with me once, and I... Well I only hope that you can find it in yourself to do the same again."

"Well, I... I agree that it's a bit soon, but I would say that..." She gave a small, encouraging smile and continued in a whisper, choosing her words carefully, "I would say that you could definitely have some hope."

He looked at her, and smiled, and in that moment Donna felt like it might already be happening. She couldn't _believe _how easily she was getting caught up in this, there was a part of her thinking how completely ridiculous and naive this was... but on the other hand, she honestly couldn't remember ever being so entranced by someone before, anyone ever seeming so genuine and so, well... perfect. Perfect for _her._

"I've had a lovely night, Harry." She said quietly, "Thank you."

And with that, she walked through the gate and up her garden path, fighting the urge to look back until she got up the stairs to her flat, closed the door... And although she heard no noise, she knew instinctively that what she was supposed to do next was go to the window. And when she did, when she peeled back a corner of the curtain, she saw that she had been right to do so - There he was, looking up at the window, making her smile faintly as he gestured for her to open it. And when she did so, when he called up to her, the smile on her face only got bigger.

"I still say _Ocean's Eleven _was the best of the three!" He called with a cheeky smile, "Goodnight!" He casually blew her a kiss before walking off down the street, and Donna couldn't help but watch him all the way, couldn't tear her eyes off him or the contented smile from her face.

The smile stayed there for the rest of the evening, as she had a bath, got ready for bed... And, for the first time in as long as she could remember (which, as it happened, wasn't very long at all) when she climbed into bed, Donna slept soundly, right through the night.

* * *

"Mornin', my darlin'!"

"Morning, Grandad."

"You alright, sweetheart? I tried ringing you last night but there was no answer, I assumed you must be out with the girls."

"Yeah, I-" Donna paused, wondering why, exactly, she was about to lie. This couldn't go without addressing, "No, actually, I wasn't. I was out with Harry."

"Harry?" Wilf sounded nonplussed, and Donna's heart sank, "Harry who?"

"Please, Gramps, give it a rest. Harry Saxon..." She took a deep breath, "I _know._"

"You know what?"

"I know... about me and Harry."

"Donna, look, I really don't... hang on." Her Grandfather stopped, "Harry _Saxon? _You mean to tell me when I rang last night you were out with the bleedin' Prime Minister?!"

"_Ex _Prime Minister." Donna said, "And you can stop the pretendy act now, he's told me everything that happened. About me and him, how we were engaged, and... About the Doctor."

"The Doctor?" Wilf whispered, sounding as though he could barely speak, "This man told you about... About..." There was a long pause, and it sounded as though her grandfather was struggling to breathe before he spoke.

"Look, I don't know what this man told you. But I never met a Harry Saxon in my life, and certainly never as your fiancée..."

"Then tell me, _Grandad," _Donna said fiercely, her temper rising for reasons she wasn't quite sure of, "What the hell has happened to me over the past year of my life? And if this awful Doctor didn't erase all of my memories and ruin my happiness, then what did happen, eh? _Eh?"_

"Donna, I can't... I can't..."

"Answer me! Please, _tell me who I am!"_ She was shrieking now, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched the handset to her ear, _desperate _to know what had happened to her, "Please." She sobbed finally, her voice weak, but after a long pause, all Wilfred would say was...

"I can't." And Donna, her eyes fiery, slammed down the phone so hard the batteries flew out of the receiver.

Her entire body was shaking with sobs of frustration. In no way had Donna meant to blow up at Wilf like that, but she had been inching closer and closer to discovering what had happened to her, to filling in the gaping holes in her life... And she had dared to think that maybe she had a chance to be happy. But then he had claimed that he had never heard of a Saxon in his life, and that put an entirely different spin on things.

She didn't know who to trust, where to turn to... But for some reason, her brain was heading in a certain direction, and she didn't know why. Why she was suddenly so attached to this man who she'd met not a week ago, why she had just shrieked at the man who ha been there for her since she was a baby. Why, as she sank, shaking, to the floor, at her very lowest moment yet, she almost instinctively grabbed the phone, hastily placed the batteries back in, and dialled Harry's number.

* * *

He knew that it was only a matter of time before she called him. Having worked his magic on her the night before, the Master was fully aware that she had fallen for it hook, line and sinker. She believed him and trusted him - Phase one was complete.

He glanced down, now, at the shrieking, vibrating mobile phone (stolen, of course) in his hand. Such primitive Earth technology, but all the same he smirked as he answered the call, delighted to hear the shaking of Donna's sobs down the phone. He could fake sympathy like the best of them.

"My god, Darling, what's wrong?" A perfectly worried-sounding lover. Excellent.

"Harry? Oh, thank god." She choked, "It's... It's... It's my Grampa. he says... He says he's never heard of you, that we weren't together." _Ah, _he thought, _not an obstacle that had occurred to me. _Still, he was nothing if not an improviser.

"Oh, god," he sighed, "I did worry that this would happen, after the Doctor took your memories... Wilfred never liked me, Donna. Don't ask me why, but from the very beginning he was convinced that I was bad news. So I'm guessing he's taken this golden opportunity to try and convince you I was never a part of your life."

"I can't believe him." Donna gasped. "So, he... He thinks-"

"Shush, now, Donna." The Master coaxed gently, "Never mind about that. What matter is... What do _you_ think?"

"I think..." She gulped, "I think..." Another wracking sob, "Oh, I don't _know _what to think now! I need help."

"Well, put it this way." He said caringly, "When you felt you needed help, the first person you called was me... Surely that has to mean something?"

"I- I guess..." She hiccupped, and he knew instinctively that she was smiling slightly down the phone as she whispered, "I guess it does."

She believed him and trusted him - Phase one was complete. And now he had turned her against her own family, the only ones who could possibly spoil his plan. he was, perhaps, the _only _one she trusted. Phase two was complete.

"Now, Donna, my angel," He was glad she couldn't see his grinning face, "I can see this has upset you a lot, and I think we need to talk about it some more - Will you meet me on Tuesday for a coffee at lunchtime?"

She sniffed, and he could tell she was pulling herself together, regaining a little of her dignity ad self-esteem as she said strongly:

"Yes, Harry. Yes, I'd love to."

Phase three was well underway.


	4. That Easy

**Another vaguely quick update, people! Not really, I know, but I seem to have fallen into the trap of trying to complete like 5 unfinished stories at a time so it'll take a while! :P You might get a bit of a shock about halfway through this chapter, it's a biggie in terms of moving on the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please do let me know what you thought and I'll try my hardest to update soon.**

**Donna xx**

Chapter Four – That Easy

"So," The Master asked as Donna settled herself opposite him with her coffee in hand, "Dare I ask, are you even a _tiny _bit closer to believing me?" He was no longer cautious of her, having established that she'd calmed down and obviously thought things through a lot since her hysterical phone call two days before.

This was confirmed as she quirked an eyebrow at him over her drink, responding with a flirty "Maybe." And in that moment, he knew his job here was as good as done.

"But enough about me and my dramas." She said, to his surprise - he'd never met anyone so self-centred in his life, "What are you up to these days, Harry?"

"Oh," He sighed, keeping up the act, "Donna, you don't know how much it upsets me that you don't remember the answer to that. But since you don't know, I erm... Actually, I'm hoping to relaunch the career in Politics. Eventually rise back to power after the disaster that was last time." He was, for once, being completely honest with her.

"I voted for you, you know." She said with a smile, and he fixed one onto his own face.

"I know. I..." But he trailed off as he caught the young waitress in the corner giving him a funny look, as though she recognized him. Donna turned to look over her shoulder as Harry waved grandly at the girl, who blushed and carried on working.

"Harry," Donna turned back to him with a puzzled look on her face, "Do you not get that a lot, being recognized? It's just, I was thinking," She took a sip of her drink, "If we really were a couple like you say - and don't get me wrong, that's still a big _if - _Wouldn't we have gotten quite a bit of media attention?" Boy, was she good at putting him on the spot.

"We, er," He quickly lied, "We stayed out of it, Donna. Didn't want to get involved with all that paparazzi tabloid nonsense, it was much more peaceful. Try and remember, darling," He brought a sorrowful look in his eye and reached across to take her hand, "That I was still trying to pick up the pieces after that dreadful Doctor ruined me the first time."

"I suppose so." She said, and he took it as a good sign that she hadn't snatched her hand away from his.

"I think," The Master said, actually being honest this time, "It would be quite a task to rebuild my public image now."

* * *

Donna's attention was caught at his last statement, and only now did she remove her hand from his (a task which she found harder than she should have) to casually give it a wave.

"Absolutely no problem." She said honestly, "Harry, I work in Public Relations and believe me; the population of this country has minds that are easier to change than a lightbulb."

"You really think so?" he asked, and she nodded, feeling quite important. It was ridiculous how at ease he made her feel, how easily she could talk to him as though she'd known him forever. And although she wouldn't admit it, not yet, she really was inching closer and closer to believing his story by the second.

It wasn't until they had left the cafe and were walking slowly down the busy street that the topic was approached again, by Harry.

"So," He said, seeming truly intrigued, "What you said before about changing the public's opinion of me... What did you mean?"

"Well," Donna took a moment to consider, thinking about the job which was the first she'd been really good at in her life, "It's all about having the right angle. Taking chances, creating your own opportunities to gain popularity and boost your public image."

"Show me." he stopped, and there was a quality to his tone that was almost daring her. And Donna was never one to shy away from a dare.

"Okay," She looked around her, and noted the irritable looking man approaching them, a plan forming instantly in her head. She leaned forward to whisper into Harry's ear, feeling him tense slightly at the close proximity between them, and then, after a small moment where he looked unsure, he nodded.

"Right," She pulled back, a confident smirk on her face, "Prepare to be catapulted back into the spotlight, Saxon." And with that, she began sauntering down the street, pulling out her mobile phone so as to look busy as she approached the angry looking man she'd taken note of... And swiftly kicked him in the shin.

Exactly as she had hoped, the man exploded, rounding on Donna with a fierce look in his eye as he began to shout and grabbed a hold of her, eliciting a real fear within her which she only exaggerated. Fixing a look of pure terror onto her face, she screamed as loud as she could, tears pouring down her face as she began to struggle with the man.

And, also as she had planned, Harold Saxon was the one to step in, supposedly reacting to her cries for help and barging through the gathering crowd with a determined, calm look in his eye, seizing the man from off of her and taking Donna by the arms.

"Are you alright, Ma'am?" He asked her, his voice strong as she began to hear the whispers from the now sizable crowd of onlookers (_"Do you know who that is?" "That bloke looks familiar..." "Isn't that..." "Is that Harold Saxon?" "God, he used to be the prime minister!" _etc.), and she forced a convincing brave look onto her face through the phony tears.

"Yes." She said, making her voice shake, "Yes, I think I'll be alright." The two of them tried desperately to keep the triumphant smiles from their faces, as they both saw the camera phones being lifted high into the air from all angles, pointing directly at them.

* * *

Having very, very briefly pushed the events of the previous day to the back of her mind, it was a shock for Donna the next morning as she collected the local newspaper from outside of her flat, still half asleep and shrugging into her dressing gown. She blinked as, everything now coming rushing back to her, she was faced with a large picture of herself, looking relieved and her face tear-streaked as she stood next to Harry.

The page was emblazoned with the headline **"Brave Ex-PM Saxon Jumps to the Rescue"**, and Donna couldn't help but smile as she settled herself on the sofa and read the accompanying piece, which told the whole story of the unknown woman accosted in the street by a stranger, and none other than Harold Saxon had been the one to resolve the situation. There was even a quote from the waitress in the cafe they'd been in beforehand, telling the reporter how they'd "Looked pretty cosy" and there was "Definitely a bit of a spark between them."

Donna barely had time to think much of this however, even though it brought a shy smile to her face to read, as the doorbell rang at exactly the moment she finished reading. She leapt up, knowing who it would be, and opened the door to see, sure enough, Harry standing leaning on her doorframe.

He didn't say a word, but there was a look of amused disbelief on his face (a very cute one, Donna cursed herself for thinking) as he silently held up a copy of the morning's newspaper.

She nodded, unable to keep the cheeky smirk from her face, "I told you so. It really is that easy."

* * *

One year Later

Donna yawned as she finally finished writing yet another press release, glancing at her watch: Almost eleven thirty. She would wait up, she decided - He wouldn't be long. Shutting her computer down, she pulled a drawer open in the desk at which she sat, to retrieve a large ring-binder folder and begin to flip through it.

A small smile appeared on her face as she looked through all of the press cuttings, articles from way back when catching her eye with early headlines like **"Brave Ex-PM Saxon Jumps to the Rescue"**, before the speculation had started. **"Saxon's Soft Spot for Recently Hired PR girl?"** and** "Not So Public Relations?"** were a couple of her favourites. It was funny, Donna thought, how their whole story had been chronicled within these magazines and newspapers. She continued to flip through, more and more catching her eye:

**"The Future Mrs. Saxon? Newly Resurfaced Prime Minister Finally Reveals Love for his Head of PR";  
"Harry's Back - Saxon Re-Enters Parliament after a Year and a Half";  
"House of Saxon - Harry and Donna Give us a Taste of Their New London £1m Pad";  
"Golden Couple Tie the Knot - Exclusive Coverage of the Wedding of the Century".**

And there were so, so many more. Sometimes, Donna still couldn't believe everything that had happened over the last twelve months, the whirlwind her life had become. She had gone from unsure, scared and confused after losing her memories to being confident and positive once again, completely sure of herself and blissfully happy. She was one of the most loved women in the country - and she owed it all to him.

* * *

The Master knew instinctively as he came in that she would be in the study, most likely finishing off some press release or another. He entered in silence, taking a moment to just watch her as she pored over the folder of press cuttings, considering how strange it was, the effect she'd had on him. Sure, he'd known he was to return to power, but he had also assumed he'd have to use some sort of hypnosis or mind control again. He had purely been using Donna, a year ago, as a way of getting back at the Doctor, it had been chance that he had chosen her... But then, she had proved herself to be above and beyond what he could have hoped for.

She had worked tirelessly, in the beginning, to help him gain back his popularity, without using any supernatural means, and had somehow been dragged along for the ride herself. Yes, he knew it was a good angle to appear a family man, to have a wife... But truth be told, that wasn't the only reason he had married her. He wasn't in _love, _of course, he wasn't some weak human, but he had to admit he didn't find it half as much of a chore being around her as he'd expected. She put him at ease, somewhat, had made him laugh and been easy to talk to from the very beginning.

Plus... Well, she truly did love him, and he knew that. And it wasn't a bad feeling at all, being appreciated, being happy. He didn't know. All he knew was that Donna would willingly follow him to the end of the earth - and if all of his scheming went according to plan, then that would be exactly what would happen.

Finally, he made his presence known, walking forward and wrapping his arms around Donna from behind as she remained seated.

"You waited for me." He stated, kissing the side of her head, and she turned to smile at him:

"Of course I did. I'm just looking through all the old articles."

"Mm-hmm. I've got another for you to add, actually." He stood and took a newspaper cutting from the inside pocket of his suit, which showed a picture of him wearing a hard hat and standing next to an enormous metal structure.

"New transmitter in Essex, just unveiled it today." He told her, "It's a massive step forward in terms of alien contact."

"That's exciting." Donna said with a smile, and he could see she truly meant it as the idea of travelling the stars put a glint in her eye, "Did people react well to it? We don't want to put people off you at this stage-"

"Oh, yeah." He told her, getting that all too familiar strange feeling in his stomach as she showed how much she cared for him, "If anything, it should help the election campaign." Harry let her place the new clipping into the folder before he grabbed the ring-binder and shoved it back in the drawer swiftly.

"Enough work now, eh?" He grinned, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet, "Shall we go to bed?"

Donna quirked an amused eyebrow, leaning in to kiss him before whispering, "Oh, yes."


End file.
